This squat variation is a must-do for athletes and weekend warriors

Want to cut like Eagles running back LeSean McCoy? It’s all in the hips. Any time you’re running back and forth or throwing a ball, you’re using your hip and groin muscles to stabilize your body. “A stable athlete goes into a cut, plants, everything is lined up, and they explode out,” says Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training and creator of The Big Bench Workout. “A weak or unstable athlete goes into a cut, they're loose, their knee buckles or their trunk sways, which slows them down and increases the likelihood of injury.”

To strengthen your hip and groin muscles—as well as your glutes and hamstrings—try a barbell split squat. In the barbell split squat, one leg is directly in front of your body and one leg is directly behind you. This gives you a much narrower base than in a traditional squat. As a result, your stabilizing muscles that control the movement (hip and groin) have to work harder to keep you upright, says Robertson.

Watch the video below to see how to do the barbell split squat with perfect form.

Tip: As you lower down, think about pulling your body down to the floor. “This improves your control,” Robertson says. “Most people have a tendency to let gravity take over, and they’re falling all over the place.”

To perform the exercise correctly, both of your knees should be at 90-degree angles at the bottom of the squat. “Driving your knee too far forward will excessively load your quads instead of your glutes and hamstrings,” Robertson says. His tip: Grab a bench and put it in front of you. Without the bar, lower into the correct split squat position with your knees at 90 degrees. Move the bench so that it’s nearly touching your front knee when you’re in a perfect position. Raise up, grab the bar, and perform the split squat.

You can also perform the exercise holding dumbbells held at your sides if you don’t have a barbell available. However, the barbell will typically allow you to load more weight.

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